Week 1, Term 3, 2025 | Friday 18 July

Be Brave, Not Perfect – A Message for the New Semester

As Term 3 begins, I want to offer a warm welcome back to all Canterbury families. I return to the College after my sabbatical leave with a deep sense of gratitude and renewed energy for the semester ahead.

I found myself missing the life of Canterbury immensely: the people, the purpose, and the everyday moments of growth and learning that define our College. I am thankful that Mrs King was able to guide the College so calmly and skilfully in my absence.

At our first Assembly of the term, I spoke with students about a message that I hope sets the tone for the weeks ahead: Be brave, not perfect.

We increasingly live in a world where many young people feel enormous pressure to get things right the first time — to avoid mistakes, chase top marks, and present a polished version of themselves, primarily through their curated social media feeds, at all times. But as I reminded our students, perfection is overrated. It often holds us back from trying something new, taking a risk, or asking for help.

Bravery, on the other hand, is where growth lives. Being brave means signing up for something unfamiliar. It means owning up when things don’t go to plan. It means putting in effort even when the result is uncertain. And ultimately, it means being willing to learn.

This kind of courage is at the heart of Canterbury’s high expectations culture. We don’t expect our students to be perfect; we expect them to be brave enough to try, committed enough to persist, and determined enough to bring their best effort.

As Proverbs 14:23 reminds us, “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” It is effort – steady, unseen, sometimes uncomfortable – that brings reward.

So, as we step into Semester Two:

• Let’s encourage our young people to take that first step even if it feels daunting.
• Let’s celebrate effort over outcome, and courage over comfort.
• And let’s remind one another that growth, learning and character are built not in perfection, but in progress.

To all our families: thank you for the role you play in reinforcing these values at home. We are lucky as a school to be working with a parent community who are so aligned to this high

expectations culture. I am excited for what lies ahead this term and confident that, together, we will continue to shape a learning community defined by both ambition and care.

Warm regards,

Dan Walker

Principal

Welcome back to Term 3 and what promises to again be a full and exciting program of learning for our students. It has been lovely to see the students move seamlessly back into the classrooms and take up from where they left off. The efforts of our students and teachers are certainly paying dividends.

Over the holidays we were thrilled to receive the news that our 2025 NAPLAN results in both Year 3 and Year 5 showed significant improvement. We have been working very hard to ensure each and every student receives the very best in contemporary education. Much work has gone into professional learning for our teachers and reviewing our educational programs. It was a wonderful reminder that excellent teachers make the difference.

This term will see the return of a number of events and activities that will provide our community the opportunity to engage with the learning that happens in classrooms. The Student Led Conferences are a fabulous opportunity for your children to talk to you about their learning, to explain the concepts they are learning and how they gauge their success. We will also be providing a chance for our dads to join us in the classroom (or on the oval) to witness firsthand how our children learn. At the end of term we will be holding our parent teacher meetings.

Towards the end of the term we will again be holding our Junior School Parent Networking event. This is a social occasion for parents, an opportunity to mingle with friends, meet new people and talk to the College leadership team. To help you to join us, there will be child minding. Please keep an eye out for the flyer which will be coming soon – we would love to see you there.

Term 3 Community Service Initiatives: Rocking the Chop & Taking the Sudsy Challenge

At Canterbury College, service and leadership are interconnected and celebrated through student-led community initiatives. This term, students from Years 5 to 12 are stepping up to make a meaningful difference through two inspiring campaigns.

Weeks 1–5: Ponytail Project & Shave for a Cure

Cranmer House is proudly leading the Ponytail Project and Shave for a Cure campaign, supporting the Cancer Council. Students are invited to “Rock the Chop and Shave the World” by cutting or shaving their hair to raise funds and awareness for cancer research and support. Hair donations of 20cm or more will be used to create wigs for individuals undergoing cancer treatment.

Cranmer students will also host educational workshops about the Cancer Council’s work and are encouraging the entire Canterbury community—students, staff, and families—to get involved. A highlight of the campaign will be the Rock the Chop and Shave the World Loud Lunch on Thursday 14 August, featuring live performances from Rock School bands and on-site haircuts to celebrate our changemakers.

We are currently seeking volunteer hairdressers from the Canterbury community to support the event. If you’re able to help, please contact:

• Hayden Turner, Cranmer Head of House –
• Amanda von Kanel, Director of Student Development –
• Joelene Anderson, Year 6 Teacher and Coordinator of Community and Service Learning (P–6) –

Students can sign up or donate via the link below: Join Canterbury College – 2025 – Ponytail Project QLD

Weeks 6–10: The Sudsy Challenge for Orange Sky

Later in the term, Kime House will lead The Sudsy Challenge, supporting Orange Sky and their mobile laundry service for those experiencing homelessness. In 2024, 283 students and staff raised enough to fund 1,955 loads of washing—an incredible impact we hope to surpass in 2025!

Details on how to get involved in the Sudsy Challenge will be shared on MyCC in the coming weeks.

We are pleased to share the Co-Curricular Schedule for Term 3, offering a wide range of opportunities for students to engage beyond the classroom. From sports and performing arts to academic clubs and leadership programs, this term’s offerings are designed to support students’ passions, strengthen skills, and encourage connection across year levels. We invite all students to explore the schedule and get involved in activities that inspire and challenge them:

Term 3 Senior School Co-Curricular Schedule

Term 3 Junior School Co-Curricular Schedule

Following the outstanding success of Term 2 sport, our Taipans athletes have continued to shine throughout the school holidays. The Canterbury community is proud to acknowledge and celebrate the exceptional achievements of the following students, teams, and staff:

Joshua Brass (Year 10): Queensland Open and Brisbane Classic Tennis- Runner up (Doubles Competition)

Attending a training camp in Japan (leading into an International Tennis Federation junior event)

Mia Chenouda (Year 7): Selected in Queensland Netball Team

Arthur Swan (Year 7): Selected in Queensland Netball team and awarded MVP for South Coast team

Nationals will take place for Mia and Arthur in October in Ballarat 

Peter Flaherty (Year 8): 1^st Place in the Southeast Qld Cross Country Series (accumulated points from over 10 races) and 2^nd Place in the Qld Athletics State Cross Country Championships

Aimee Henry (Year 11): Rugby 7s U16 Queensland Maroons 1(Captain), achieved 2^nd Overall and Player of the Final

Named in the U16 Australian Merit team 

Abigail Viriki (Year 10): Rugby 7s U16 Queensland White – 6^th in Plate Final

Team Achievements:

Cross Country: All Schools Relays Team

Staff: Mrs Brooke King and Coach Lachlan Walker 

1^st 10 Year A Boys team

1^st 9 Years A Boys team

2^nd 12 Years A Girls team

2^nd 12 Years A Boys team

Overall: Primary School Boys Champion School

Netball: QISSN Team

Staff: Mrs Deanne Hamilton and Miss Kirrilee Ellul 

2^nd Overall in Division 1

TAS Rugby Representative Team 

Staff: Mr Joshua Afu  

Competed at Australian Schools Rugby Championship

We extend our congratulations to Mrs Brooke King who was selected to attend the World Athletics High Performance coaching (Level 4) course.  

Age Champions: Senior School Athletics 

Champion House: Goldsworthy 

Looking Ahead 

Preparations for Trimester 3 sports are well underway, with our Girls Touch Football and Volleyball, and Boys Football and Basketball teams training diligently over the break. We extend our sincere thanks to Mr Nathan Burgess and our dedicated team of coaches for their continued commitment and leadership.

Improving Communication Across Our College Community 

At Canterbury College, we know how important effective communication is to ensuring every student, staff member, and parent feels informed and connected. 

As someone new to the College, I’ve been able to observe our communications from a fresh perspective. It quickly became clear that while there is a wealth of information being shared, families are often unsure where to look or what to prioritise. I’ve also heard consistent feedback that important updates can be missed or feel repetitive across platforms. 

Currently, we use a wide range of channels, including MyCC, the College App, email, newsletters, our website, and social media, but these tools haven’t always worked together as well as they could. 

We’ve listened. These concerns are valid, and we are committed to improving how we communicate as a whole school. 

This term, we’ve launched a project aimed at bringing greater clarity, consistency, and cohesion to all Canterbury communications. Our goal is simple: make it easier for families to know where to go, what to expect, and how to engage with the College. 

We’re starting by auditing all current communication platforms, examining how they’re used, and whether they’re truly meeting the needs of our community. We’ll then define the purpose of each channel, build clear platform guides, and align messages so they reflect a shared tone and strategy. 

Importantly, this is not just about sending more messages, it’s about sending the right messages, in the right place, at the right time. 

In the coming months, we’ll be introducing platform improvements, sharing easy-to-follow guides, and providing opportunities for ongoing feedback. By building a stronger communications foundation, we hope to make life simpler for families and ensure that every message makes an impact. 

Thank you for your patience and insights as we make this important shift. We are listening, and we’re committed to getting it right. 

In the Anglican Church of Australia, First Holy Communion is a significant milestone for many children on their Christian journey and is the next step after their Baptism. This sacrament symbolizes their deeper involvement in the life of the church and their relationship with Christ.

As part of the RaVE program for Year 4 this term, I will be teaching the students about this milestone, as well as exploring similar milestones in other spiritual traditions. The students will undergo a period of learning to understand the significance of the Eucharist, the sacrament of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in the forms of bread and wine.

At the end of this term, there will be an opportunity for students to make their First Holy Communion. During the service, children will be formally welcomed to partake in the Eucharist for the first time. This ceremony is often a joyous occasion celebrated with family and the church community.

If you would like your children to partake in making their First Holy Communion in the Anglican Church, please keep an eye on MYCC where there will be an online registration process. If your child is in Year 5 or above and you would like them to make their First Holy Communion, please let me know as arrangements can be made for them as well.

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